Skin Packaging

Skin packaging involves placing a product on a substrate material such as paperboard or corrugated. Heated plastic film is draped over the product and the substrate, and a vacuum draws the film down tightly to the board and around the product to make a secure and attractive package.

A skin package has four components: the plastic film, a heat seal coating, printing ink and a paperboard or corrugated paperboard. After printing, the board is coated with a heat-seal dispersion coating. The board is placed on a vacuum platen and product is placed on the board. Film is held tightly in place by a clamping frame, directly below the heater.

At the beginning of the packaging cycle, the film is heated, and then the clamping frame is lowered, draping the heated film over the product and board. The film is then drawn down by vacuum, resulting in a tight covering over the product and card. Contact with the hot film instantly activates the coating on the card. For all practical purposes, the film and the board have become one.

Skin packaging is used in two ways. For visual carded display, skin packages are typically rack hung, and are often a cost-effective alternative to blister packs, five-panel cartons, fold-over cards and rack-hung thermoforms. Throughput may be faster or slower than alternative methods depending on the product size, configuration and volume.

A second common application is industrial skin packaging to protect products in transit. Products as divergent as computer tapes, lamps, service repair kits and table tops may be skin packaged instead of using die-cut corrugated, foam-in place, foam peanuts and other stabilizing or dunnage materials. Skin packaging offers high throughputs, and full visibility to check for tampering or missing components and allow quick identification, usually at no significant cost reductions.

Skin Packaging Film

Chadpak Co., Inc., is one of the largest distributors of Surlyn skin pack film in the U.S.